


If You're Falling in a Forest

by sometimesweareturtles



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Galaxy Garrison, Keith (Voltron) Is Trying, M/M, Pining Keith (Voltron), Soulmates, Taylor is Lance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:27:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25796629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sometimesweareturtles/pseuds/sometimesweareturtles
Summary: A collection of short pining Keith oneshots.1 - Garrison/Soulmate/Lance is Taylor AU
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	If You're Falling in a Forest

**Author's Note:**

> Get it? Because falling like falling in love, and forest because pine[ing]?
> 
> (i'm sorry. i'm not funny)
> 
> Title from "Waving Through a Window" - Dear Evan Hansen

The first impression Keith has of Taylor is that he’s cute, but an asshole. 

He’s loud and obnoxious and always fishing for compliments. He’s too smiley for a military school like the Garrison, the only person with a huge grin and a flirty laugh and eyes that shine with cheer rather than ambition. Even his uniform looks out of place on him, slightly too big on the shoulders and the legs. 

But over time that view changes. 

Because Keith is a few things: impossibly, unapologetically, irrevocably gay; weak for flirty, brown-haired boys with sparkling smiles and shining blue eyes; and the type of person who doesn’t get crushes easily, but finds it even harder to lose them.

As they grow older, so does Keith’s respect for Taylor. He’s not just some goofy boy anymore; Keith has (unfortunately) spent too much time observing him to corral him into such a small box. Taylor’s not the most talented pilot out there, but what he lacks in skill he makes up for with determination, with hours clocked into the simulation jets, with late night studies in the library that Keith always just so happens to come across. And he’s a brilliant socializer, able to tame a wild room with a few well-placed jokes. Keith hasn’t had the luck to work with Taylor on many projects since he’s part of the cargo pilot class, but from what Keith’s pining ass has observed, Taylor works exceedingly well with other people, even those who are notorious for not getting along. 

When Keith goes to space, he wants to take Taylor with him.

Keith has a plan. It’s been laid out since second year (the year that Keith finally swam out of a certain river in Egypt and acknowledged that Taylor was a little bit more to him than a pretty face), and it has seven steps.

  1. Get to know Taylor. Talk to him, or something. Finally learn how to not stick his foot in his mouth around hot people, or just people in general, because Keith isn’t going to win himself any points by being prickly.
  2. Rope Taylor into a friendship, or at least a mutually beneficial partnership (Keith is trying to be realistic here). This is so:
  3. He can ask Taylor to be on Keith’s ship when he goes to space. Taylor can be Keith’s right hand man, or even lead the entire mission. Whatever. Keith thinks that they’ll work well together; Taylor can lead inter-crew relations, and Keith can pilot.
  4. Seduce Taylor. In the romantic sense. They’ll be stuck in space together, on a small ship; hopefully this means that Taylor won’t find somebody better than Keith, and also won’t be able to avoid him. Woo him with his piloting skills (he seems impressed by Keith’s flying, if the wide-eyed, open-mouthed looks he gives Keith after his flying sessions on Tuesdays, the only days that they practice with the cargo pilot class, are any indication), or chocolates, or cows? Keith is pretty sure Taylor likes cows. Something about a pet named Kaltenekar? This step could use a little more work.
  5. Ask Taylor out. Or get asked out by Taylor. Keith isn’t picky. He’ll take any sort of attention from Taylor at this point.
  6. Kiss Taylor. Keith may have to work on this, since he has never kissed anyone before, and it will probably be obvious. Taylor is pretty popular with the other cadets, so he will definitely be able to sense Keith’s inexperience.
  7. Tie the knot. Propose. Become fiances. Shiro says that this is the peak of romance, and he’s been with Adam since probably the beginning of time, considering how old they are, so Keith is inclined to believe him.



This entire plan is foolproof, except for one thing:

Soulmates.

This whole plan centers around the fact that Taylor won’t find some cute boy or girl who is better than Keith in every way. Like last year, when it was said that Taylor had a crush on Allura, the almost celestial girl whose father owns Altean Airlines. Keith really can’t compete, which is why it’s imperative to get Taylor up in space and away from all the hot people back on Earth. 

Soulmates, however? They transcend realities, let alone distance. If Taylor’s soulmate is someone else, then Keith is  _ screwed _ . Because no matter what, soulmates always end up together, and Keith will be sad and lonely forever.

This is why the plan has been postponed until  _ after _ Taylor and Keith’s sixteenth birthdays, when the soulmate marks have come in. Once Keith gets Taylor’s name on his wrist, which he is sure he will, then he can go ahead, because he’ll have the best chance of his plan succeeding. They’re perfect for each other, Keith is pretty sure, and he thinks that the universe owes him, anyway, for killing off his dad at a young age and sending his mother away even earlier. 

Except, of course, the universe doesn’t owe its inhabitants anything. (The universe is a fowl, irritating entity that follows no mortal’s hopes and dreams because it revels in their struggles)

Keith wants to scream. Well, actually, he wants to shower, wants to scrub this stupid mark off his arms until they’re red and swollen. It’s supposed to be  _ Taylor _ , he wants to shout.

Who the fuck is this  _ Lance McClain? _

Anyone can see that Keith is in a bad mood that day, and for the days following. It lasts for weeks, a dark storm cloud hanging over his head, so potent that even the obnoxious James Griffin stops bothering him after he lays a punch that leaves a dark bruise for days. 

It just doesn’t make sense to him. Keith is relatively good at math, and the equation just isn’t adding up. Keith has always had trouble connecting to people, and for him to take such a shine to some boy he isn’t even that close to seemed like a sign, like he and Taylor were meant for each other. He doesn’t want this stranger, this “Lance McClain” that the universe seems so set on him loving. 

It sucks, a lot. Keith spends a bit of time crying, late at night, into his pillow. But not too much time, because he thinks that he can still go through with his plan, or at least some of it. Maybe he can date Taylor until he finds his soulmate? Or even convince him to choose Keith instead? It’s unlikely, but it can’t hurt to try. 

With this resolve, Keith makes it through the next few months. He’s still surly but he’s civil enough that the other cadets stop giving him a six feet berth. He doesn’t muster up the courage to talk to Taylor, but he keeps an eye on him, watching him struggle through the ranks to the top of his class. Keith feels oddly proud. 

His newfound system works great. At least until Taylor approaches him himself.

“Hey,” Taylor says, white teeth flashing distractingly behind soft lips. “You’re Keith Kogane, right?”

Keith doesn’t, in the end, manage to not stick his foot in his mouth. “Who?” 

“Oh,” Taylor says laughing. “Well, if you’re not him, I’ll just -”

“No!” Keith yelps. “No - I’m Kogane. Keith. I’m Keith Kogane.”

Taylor smiles. It’s much more blinding up close, and Keith feels slightly faint at having such a powerful weapon pointed right at him. Forget guns, or swords, or knives; one beam from this boy is enough to fatally injure even the strongest of fighters. 

“Good,” Taylor says. He holds out his wrist. “I’m Lance McClain. I think I’m your soulmate.”

… Keith might owe the universe an apology for all the harsh words he spat about it.


End file.
